[IC] Be my Sanctuary

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy had been working at the garage for almost five years. It was the closest thing she had to a home and Zed had been the closest thing that she had had to a father. He had named her his benefactor in his will. Everything she had was because of him. AS she went through the letters on his desk she found one with her name on it from the Anchor list. It appeared after years of being free to do whatever she wanted she was about to be change to someone. She wasn't happy about it but she knew she had no choice. She climbed on to her motorcycle and made her way to the empath that would take away everything she cherished.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

It had been five years. Jess knew this from the change of the seasons, the varying temperature, the trees outside the cabin window as they shed and regrew their leaves. It felt like much longer, though. She didn't even know why she kept track of the time any more. Each year was a repeat of the last.

She tried to keep her attention on the book she'd been given to keep her mind occupied, but her gaze kept drifting towards the window, her concentration fraying as always. The young woman gave the outside world a longing stare. As she glanced this way and that, her ribs tightened. She could swear the room looked smaller than usual. Standing up, she paced from one wall to the other. Get a grip, she scolded herself, the walls aren't really going to close in. Sighing, she sat back down. Her brain played these tricks on her more and more often these days.

Suddenly, her head jerked up. In the distance, she could hear the hum of a motor, the grinding of wheels against the dirt path - and a growing wave of resentment. She pulled back. This wasn't just somebody here to bring food, only to leave as quickly as possible, radiating guilt. The sound was more like a motorbike than a car. Steeling herself, Jess peered out, watching a purple-haired girl draw closer. Hope welled through her, tainted by bitterness and a pang of unease at the thought of burdening someone, at the thought of needing someone.

Was this even her own bitterness she was feeling? She didn't know. She barely knew who she was.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy parked her bike outside of the cabin. She had been reassured that her emotions wouldn't be a burden to the empath. Which was reassuring. She didn't want anyone inside her head. Her emotions were hers alone and she didn't want anyone else knowing how she felt. She studied the cabin. It was small but she supposed that one woman wouldn't need much. But she knew that she would feel claustrophobic if she lived here. Luckily she didn't and wouldn't have to.

She stormed up to the door. She knocked hard. She wondered how crazy the empath was. She had heard stories about empaths that didn't find an anchor right away. She was not looking forward to dealing with another person. She had enough problems of her own without taking on someone else's. She pounded on the door. She hoped she wouldn't have to drag the other woman back to society. She had a life that she had worked hard to build and she wasn't leaving it behind for anyone.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Jess flinched at the harsh knock on the door. Annoyance simmered off the anchor like heat from fire, although there was something muted about it. Tolerable. This truly was the person who could help her - even if this person was less than happy about her role.

Breathing deeply, Jess edged forward and opened the door. "H-Hi," she muttered, not sure what else to say. Her own reaction to the girl unsettled her. She'd never been a shy person before, but it had been a long time since she'd had any proper contact with people. She had Internet access here, although the connection was so slow it was near-useless, and she spoke to her mother on the phone when the line worked. This, though, was the first chance to talk face-to-face with someone she'd had in years.

And, as her luck would have it, it was someone who would rather be anywhere but here right now - quite understandably. This was someone who must have lost everything, just as she had.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy looked up at the like almost everyone she had ever met the other woman was taller than her. She had accepted that at barely five feet tall that would be the case more often than not. But she refused to allow that to intimated her in anyway. She glared at the empath. "My name is Roxy. I have been sent to be your Anchor. I hope you don't have alot of shit because I need to get back to the city."

She could not and would not live here. She was a city girl. She had always been one. She would always be one. They were suppose to find a way to live and work together. But Roxy had never been good at compromise. She had fight too hard to get the life she had. She wasn't going to give it up just because this chick felt other people's emotions. As much as she wanted to be needed and wanted she doubted that the empath wanted this anymore than she did. She would hate being dependent on someone just to be able to live any sort of life.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Jess had imagined, over and over for the past five years, what this moment would be like. She'd been worried she'd end up stuck with someone who pitied her, saw her as some helpless waif. At least this woman wasn't like that... but this situation was hardly much better.

"I..." And now here she was, freezing up like some rabbit in the headlights. Pull yourself together! she mentally yelled at herself. She recalled the taunts at school, while she'd grown increasingly desperate to find someone who could help her hold on to stability. Jess the mess, some people had called her. She couldn't come across that way now. Roxy didn't need that.

And yet, mixed emotions coursed through her. Not that she was any stranger to those. At least most of it was her own this time, or so she assumed. Relief at her chance to get out of here, mixed with frustration and guilt at her dependency. She'd had plenty of time to make plans for her return to society, plans that sounded workable in theory. The reality was, though, resuming her life would mean taking away somebody else's.

"I'm Jess," she said, trying to sound as together as possible. She attempted a smile, which turned out more of a grimace. "And there isn't much here... It's ok."

It wasn't ok. Things were anything but ok for either of them.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy rolled her eyes. She wasn't the most patient woman. The last thing she needed was a weakling. This woman wouldn't survive a week in her world. Which was a problem. This woman needed her. Which meant that Jess was going to have to learn how to survive in her world. She had a feeling that adjusting wouldn't be easy for Jess no matter who her anchor. Unfortunately the other woman had gotten stuck with her.

"Let's get you packed. How much of this stuff do you want to take with you?" No matter what the woman packed they couldn't go back to the city on her bike. Which pissed Roxy off. She hated being in enclosed spaces. But they would need atleast a car. A truck would be better that way she could put her bike in it. From what she had been told she would have to be in the same room as the empath for the first month or so until their bond was strong enough to stretch further.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

No sooner had she spoken, Jess picked up on a gut-churning feeling from the other woman. Contempt. She winced. She knew she should be thankful she wasn't getting the full force of this person's emotions, but she didn't want to bother Roxy any more than she had to.

How did people appear confident, again? Had she really forgotten how to interact with others? If so, she had no choice but to relearn. Straightening her back, Jess forced herself to look directly at Roxy.

"I only have a little to take. I'll sort it out right now," she replied, making a start on gathering up her belongings. Roxy shouldn't have to think she'd need to constantly run around after her.

[KatherinWinter]

"I'll get a moving truck while you do that. I should have thought of it on my way out here but I've never had to move crap." she had left home with only the clothes on her back. She hadn't wanted to be burdened down with anything. Speed had been more important then her few belongings. Plus she hadn't wanted at reminders of her past. She doubted that Jess felt the same way.

She pulled out her phone as she left the small cabin. She looked up the nearest moving company. Then she climb into her motorcycle. She figured that getting the truck would give her something to do while she waited for Jesse to back whatever she wanted to take with her. Roxy wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. She hated being this far from the city. She didn't know the rules here and that made her uncomfortable.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Looking over her shoulder, Jess watched Roxy leave, taking that feeling of discomfort with her. Trying not to dwell on how this could turn out, she placed her belongings into a suitcase and backpack.

A few sets of clothes, a few toiletries. Books given to her as gifts. A notebook she'd written her plans for the future in, easier to stick to if she had them right in front of her. A laptop she'd barely been able to use out here. A framed photograph that showed her as a child, accompanied by both her parents as they sat in the park. Everything had been so much simpler then.

"I won't disappoint you, Dad," she whispered, looking at his smiling face in the picture, even though it was too late. He'd gone to his grave not knowing if things would improve for his daughter, his additional source of stress. "I'll be alright."

She didn't know if she would be alright, but all she could do was convince herself.

After packing away the photo, along with a wooden figurine of a bird her father had carved for her a long time ago - her reminder to "fly high", as he wanted - she checked around the rooms for other items to take.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy rented a truck big enough to put her bike in. She rolled the Windows down so she didn't feel quite as trapped. She hated enclosed spaces. But it had to done. The only way to get Jesse to town was with the van. It only took her about a half hour to get the truck and bring it back to the cabin. She parked the van next to her bike before getting out and making her way around to the back. She liftelifted the heavy metal door with ease. She pulled down the ramp before loading her bike inside.

Once that was taken care of Roxy went back to the cabin. She went inside without knocking "Where are you at in getting things ready? I'll start loading stuff into the truck. Because if I stay in here I'll go crazy." which was the only warning Jess was going to get about her problem with enclosed spaces. The cabin was too small for her to be comfortable. She felt trapped even though she was standing by the door.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Just as Jess was packing away the last of her belongings, she heard the wheels of a truck scraping on the dirt. Hauling the rucksack on to her back and pulling up the entendable handle of the suitcase, she slowly approached the door to greet Roxy, giving that awkward smile she didn't expect the other woman to return.

Her stomach clenched, and the urge to get out of the cabin spiked. Part of it's coming from Roxy, she realised once the purple-haired girl had voiced her dislike of the tiny, closed space.

"It's alright, I've got it. But thanks," she replied, dragging the suitcase along on its wheels, eager to get out for both of their sakes.

[KatherinWinter]

"You pack. I'll load. It will go faster that way." Roxy insisted. She held out her hand for the suitcase. The way she saw things if she loaded things as Jesse packed them they would get out of her in no time. Plus she wouldn't have to be in the tiny house very much. She sort of understood why the empath had to live so far from people. Sort of. She thought that the empath could have lived closer to town without any problems after all the woman's abilities were only suppose to go a couple miles or less depending on how strong the empath was. But she would never understand how anyone could live in a place so small.

She wouldn't have agreed to live here. But she wasn't the one who had had to live here so it wasn't her place to say anything. She just wanted to spend as little time in the tiny house as she could manage. It was bad enough that she would be trapped in the moving van until they reached her place. The less time she spent in the house the easier the trip would be for her.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

"Thanks," Jess said as she handed Roxy the suitcase. "It shouldn't take much longer." She set about cramming the last few items into bags as quickly as she could, in an attempt to keep her word.

It was silly, really. Here she was, trying to avoid burdening Roxy, and yet a few bags and cases were such a small matter compared to all the other ways she was going to inconvenience this woman. Catching herself biting her lip, she stopped, knowing that coming across as weak and timid would just further annoy the person who'd put herself out to help.

Passing the bags over to Roxy, she tensed from the woman's growing anxiety. She hurried, trying to get the job finished. All she could do was try to minimise the strain she put on the anchor.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy was glad when they were finished loading Jesse's stuff. Not that the Empath had much. Just that she was relieved that she didn't have to keep going into the tiny house anymore. Although thaymeant that she would be spending the next hour trapped in the moving can. She wasn't looking forward to it. But it would be the last time she had to travel that way she reminded herself.

"Do you want to me to drive?" she asked. She had no idea when or if the other woman had ever driven. Plus driving would give her something to focus on besides the small enclosed space of the cab. Plus she knew where they were going. She wondered what Jesse would think of her garage and home. Not that it mattered. The woman had little choice. They would compromise once the Empath adjusted to the world but until she was in charge.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Jess nodded. "Yeah... still got to get round to learning," she said, then immediately wished she hadn't brought up the subject. She'd passed a theory test, but the disruption to her life meant that the actual test was something she had yet to take. It was on her list of plans - but it would mean dragging Roxy around. Roxy, who couldn't stand closed spaces.

She really should have more experience, more skills, more of a life at twenty-one, she thought as she climbed into the passenger seat. She'd have a lot of catching up to do once she and Roxy got to the city. The issue was, how much would their separate goals and lifestyles come into conflict?

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy wasn't looking forward to that. She had barely survived her own driving lessons. But as an anchor she couldn't deny her empath anything. Which pissed her off. She wasn't used to compromising. Compromising wasn't something she had ever done. But she would have to figure it out. She had no choice.

She slid into the driver's seat and shut the door behind her. She started the van and rolled down the window. She turned the radio onto a soft rock station before headed down the road. She was counting the minutes to the city. She ignored Jesse. Not because she didn't want to get to know the woman that she would be stuck sharing a life with. She figured that the empath would need this time to adjust.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

"I mean, not right away!" Jess hastily added, as soon as she felt the twinge of anxiety from the other woman at the mention of driving lessons. "Maybe once we're, uh, more used to this. To living this way."

Her gaze drifted to her knees. Was she going to say anything that didn't sound stupid, or that wasn't going to piss Roxy off? Those jeers from school replayed through her mind. Jess the mess. She couldn't let herself be a mess any more. Raising her head, she looked out through the windscreen at the road stretching in front of her and Roxy, leading back to society. This was a chance to make a new start, and she had to take it - in a way that the anchor would be alright with.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy was silent the hour it took her to drive back to the city. She had no idea what to say. This wasn't going to be easy. She and Jesse had alot to learn about one another. Jesse would have to readjust to a world that was constantly in motion. While she was going to have to learn to share. It was late by the time the reached the city. She figured it would be easiest to grab something before heading to the house.

"What do you want to eat?" she asked when they hit the city limits. Roxy wasn't a picky eater. She learned young to eat what she was given. She had no strong preference or dislikes. She figured Jesse should pick their meal since it would be her first one with someone in who knew how long. It was a celebration of sorts.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Say something, Jess nagged herself as minute after wordless minute passed. She'd never been this awkward before, but back then she hadn't lived in seclusion. Besides, Roxy wasn't exactly the easiest person to talk to.

It was Roxy who broke the silence as the lights of the city came into view. The city, a familiar sight even though everything had changed. As the purple-haired woman mentioned food, Jess thought it over. "Uh... I'm ok with just a sandwich," she replied. Maybe she should be having more to celebrate her first day back in society, but she figured Roxy would want to grab something quick so as to get the journey over with, and she wasn't going to be unnecessarily demanding.

She wasn't all that hungry, anyway. A mix of excitement and nervousness fluttered in her stomach. After all these years of being cut off from the world, she could now re-enter it - but adjusting to this new life wasn't going to be easy for her or Roxy.